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Tips For Keeping Your CV Fresh Post-Redundancy And Finding A New Career
By OnTopic | August 22, 2010
In this sluggish economic climate, competition for work is fierce and people are spending longer job-hunting than ever. Not only can this be extremely disheartening, but a post-redundancy lull of this type poses another problem: the longer you’re out of work, the bigger the hole in your CV becomes, putting off employers and further jeopardising your chances of finding a new career.
But this vicious circle can be avoided by taking a few fairly straightforward steps in order to keep your CV up-to-date and competitive. By avoiding state of redundancy-induced torpor, you can demonstrate initiative and get-up-and-go to any prospective employers.
Go Back to School: You can significantly improve your chances of finding a new job and your skills by registering for a course at an FE college or teaching yourself. Also, this needn’t cost the earth since there are plenty of cheap courses available online. Or take an evening class and get a qualification at the end of it.
Give a little: Raising money for charity is a great way to demonstrate your enthusiasm and organisational skills, as well as your philanthropy. Choose a charity or local project you believe in and find out how to help. If you’re stuck for ideas, many charities have starter packs for would-be fundraisers.
Volunteer: There’s more to volunteering than helping out in your local charity shop. Save The Children, for example, trains up Speakers to raise awareness and Oxfam hires people as stewards at music festivals. Find a role relevant to your career or choose something that could be a real talking point in an interview.
Enter the Blogoshpere: Blogs are easy to use and free to set up, and a well-written blog will be good evidence of your communication skills to any prospective employers. Visit www.blogger.com for tips on how to start.
Degrees of Separation: Whether it’s maintaining a good network of ‘virtual’ contacts on LinkedIn and Twitter or making the most of industry events, networking is a tried and tested way of looking for and finding work. Networking will help you meet new people and prove to prospective employers that you are still a motivated member of their industry.
Challenge yourself: Run a marathon, set a new record or take up an extreme sport. Pushing the boundaries will prove that you have commitment and determination – both to yourself and a prospective boss.
Seize opportunities: Don’t let redundancy become an excuse for apathy. Stay active and take the initiative by helping out on your child’s school trip or getting involved with the local council.
However you choose to keep your CV up-to-date, make sure you feel comfortable – and proud – justifying how you’ve spent your time to a prospective employer. The weeks and months after being made redundant can be a dispiriting time, but it’s also a time to try new things and it might even lead to a career change. And anything that proves how talented, hardworking and committed you are will go a long way when searching for a new job.
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